The development of semiconductor light emitting elements used in light-emitting diodes, for example, has been progressing recently. As described in Patent Document 1, for example, a semiconductor light emitting element includes a substrate and a light emitting structure layered upon the substrate. The substrate is formed from sapphire, silicon carbide, or the like, for example, and the light emitting structure is a group III-V semiconductor thin film multilayer body, for example. When a current is supplied to the light emitting structure, the light emitting structure emits light. The emitted light traverses the substrate and exits to the exterior of the semiconductor light emitting element.